Scott D. Brown

Scott D. Brown, 48, of rural Convoy, died Friday, November 18, 2011. He was born August 26, 1963, in Decatur, Ind., the son of Rosemary M. (Coyne) Brown and the late Marvin D. Brown. Survivors include the mothers of his children, Paula I. Brown of Delphos and Leslie S. Shindeldecker of Rockford; four children, Ashley […]

Brumback receives national recognition

DAVE MOSIER/independent editor Although it’s played a starring role in Van Wert County during the 110 years since its founding in 1901 as the nation’s first public county library, Brumback Library recently received some national recognition as well. The local library was recently identified by Library Journal as one of America’s Star Libraries. Based on […]

Cost of Thanksgiving dinner rises again

Van Wert independent/AFBF information WASHINGTON, D.C — The retail cost of menu items for a classic Thanksgiving dinner including turkey, stuffing, cranberries, pumpkin pie and all the basic trimmings increased about 13 percent this year, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation. The AFBF survey shopping list includes turkey, bread stuffing, sweet potatoes, rolls with […]

ODOT lists road construction projects

LIMA — The Ohio Department of Transportation’s District 1 has released its final road construction report of the year for the week of November 21. Road construction projects in Van Wert, Paulding and Putnam counties are as follows: Van Wert County Ohio 81, between Ohio 118 and U.S. 127, will be restricted through the work […]

Lions donate to library

The Van Wert Lions Club recently made a donation of $500 to the Children’s Department of Brumback Library. Shown are (from the left) Librarian Marcia Weldy, Library Director John Carr and Van Wert Lions President Charles Brickner. The Lions held several fundraisers throughout the year, including its french fry trailer, in order to raise money […]

Health Center to open in Putnam County

OTTAWA — The Putnam County Health & Diagnostic Center will host an open house on Sunday, December 11, from 1 to 3 p.m. to showcase its new facilities at 102 Putnam Parkway in Ottawa. The state-of-the-art family care facility, the newest addition to the Lima Memorial Health System, will open to the public Monday, December […]

Survey shows youths call less, text more

The Foundation for Rural Service (FRS) released its “2011 Rural Youth Telecommunications Survey” with a key finding that only 25 percent of rural teens use 500 or more call minutes monthly, down from 65 percent in 2009. This large decrease is indicative of national trends that show teens talking less and texting more. The biennial study […]

Law Enforcement 11/21/11

Van Wert Police November 20, 4:50 p.m. — Nathan M. Pugsley, 28, of 138 Logan St., was arrested for aggravated menacing after a complaint was filed by his ex-girlfriend. November 19, 6:49 p.m. — Dewey W. Hammons, 45, of Fort Jennings, was charged with possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia as a result of a […]

Ohio jobless rate falls slightly in October

Van Wert independent/ODJFS information COLUMBUS — Ohio’s unemployment rate was 9.0 percent in October, down from 9.1 in September, according to data released Friday morning by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS). Ohio’s nonfarm wage and salary employment decreased 600 over the month, from the revised 5,109,500 in September to 5,108,900 in […]

Perk’s, Family Health Care win biz awards

Van Wert independent Family Health Care of Northwest Ohio won the “Small Business of the Year” award while Perk’s Café was named the “Microenterprise of the Year” during the 2011 Salute to Small Business Luncheon hosted by the Van Wert Area Chamber of Commerce and held at Willow Bend Country Club. The Sycamore Drive-In on […]